Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.

Recounting real events inspired by the revolutionary theater group that transformed the artistic scene in the city of Olinda in the 1970s, Once Upon a Time Diversiones tells the story of newcomer Sharlene Esse’s first night—and future first transgender leading lady of Pernambuco theater—at the most charismatic performance house in a not-so-distant kingdom.